Rotate and reflect objects

Rotate objects

Rotating an object turns it around a fixed
point that you designate. The default reference point is the object’s
center point. If you have multiple objects in a selection, the objects
will rotate around a single reference point, which is the center
point of the selection or bounding box by default. To rotate each
object around its own center point, use the Transform Each command.

Rotate an object using the bounding
box

With the Selection tool , move
the pointer outside the bounding box and near a bounding box handle
so that the pointer changes to , and
then drag.

Rotate an object with the Free
Transform tool

Select one or more objects.

Select the Free Transform tool .

Position the pointer anywhere outside the bounding box so
that the pointer changes to , and
then drag.

Rotate an object with the Rotate
tool

Select one or more objects.

Select the Rotate tool .

Do any of the following:

To rotate the object
around its center point, drag in a circular motion anywhere in the
document window.

To rotate the object around a different reference point,
click once anywhere in the document window to reposition the reference
point. Then move the pointer away from the reference point and drag
in a circular motion.

To rotate a copy of the object instead of the object itself,
hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) after you start
to drag.

For finer control, drag farther from the object’s reference point.

Rotate an object by a specific
angle

You can control the exact angle of rotation with the Rotate
command.

Select one or more objects.

Do one of the following:

To rotate around a
different reference point, select the Rotate tool. Then Alt‑click
(Windows) or Option‑click (Mac OS) where you want the reference point
to be in the document window.

Enter the rotation angle in the Angle text box. Enter a negative
angle to rotate the object clockwise; enter a positive angle to
rotate the object counterclockwise.

If the objects contain a pattern fill, select Patterns to
rotate the pattern. Deselect Objects if you want to rotate the pattern
but not the objects.

Click OK, or click Copy to scale a copy of the objects.

Note:

To place multiple copies of the object in a circular
pattern around a reference point, move the reference point away
from the center of the object, click Copy, and then repeatedly choose
Object > Transform > Transform Again.

Rotate an object with the Transform
panel

Select
one or more objects.

Do one of the following:

To rotate the object
around its center point, enter a value for the Angle option in the
panel.

To rotate the object around a different reference point,
click a white square on the reference point locator in
the panel, and enter a value for the Angle option.

Tip: You
can also call up the Transform panel by clicking X, Y, W, or H in
the Control panel.

You can rotate a symbol around its registration point, using
the Transform panel. For more information see Symbol
registration point.

Rotate multiple objects individually

Select the objects to rotate.

Choose Object > Transform > Transform
Each.

Do either of the following in the Rotate section of the dialog
box:

Click the angle icon or drag the angle line around
the icon.

In the Angle text box, enter an angle between –360° and 360°.

Click OK, or click Copy to rotate a copy of each
object.

Rotate the x and y axes of a document

By
default, the x and y axes are parallel to the horizontal
and vertical sides of the document window.

Specify an angle in the Constrain Angle text box. A positive
angle rotates the axes counterclockwise; a negative angle rotates
the axes clockwise.

Rotating the axes is useful if your artwork
consists of elements that are rotated to the same angle, such as
a logo and text displayed on a 20° angle. Instead of rotating each
element you add to the logo, you can simply rotate the axes by 20°.
Everything you draw is created along the new axes.

Reflect or flip objects

Reflecting
an object flips the object across an invisible axis that you specify.
You can reflect objects using the Free Transform tool, the Reflect
tool, or the Reflect command. If you want to specify an axis from
which to reflect, use the Reflect tool.

Note:

To create a mirror image of an object, you can
copy while reflecting.

Reflect an object with the Free
Transform tool

Select the object to reflect.

Select the Free Transform tool .

Do one of the following:

Drag a handle of the
bounding box past the opposite edge or handle until the object is
at the desired level of reflection.

To maintain the object’s proportions, hold down Shift while
dragging a corner handle past the opposite handle.

Reflect an object with the Reflect
tool

Select the object.

Select the Reflect tool .

To draw the invisible axis across which you want the object
to reflect, click anywhere in the document window to set one point
of the axis. The pointer changes to an arrowhead.

Position the pointer at another point to define the invisible
axis, and do one of the following:

Click to set the second point of the invisible axis. When you click, the selected object flips over the defined axis.

Click to set one point of the axis (left), then click again to set the other axis point and reflect the object across the axis (right).

To reflect a copy of the object, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click to set the second point of the invisible axis.

Adjust the axis of reflection by dragging instead of clicking. Shift‑drag to constrain the angle by 45°. As you drag, the invisible axis of reflection rotates around the point you clicked in step 3 and an outline of the object appears reflected. When the outline is in the desired position, release the mouse button.